A Cinderella Story
by ProngsieLovesLils
Summary: Lily Evans has always been pushed around by her sisters. What will happen when she finally gets her moment in the sun? [ONESHOT]


DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter or Cinderella. Onward.

Once upon a time, in a faraway land called Scotland, there lived a beautiful with red hair and emerald eyes named Lily Evans. She attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where there were four houses, each prizing different virtues. Lily, the brave at heart, was in bold Gryffindor, while her two ambitious half-sisters, Ivy and Petunia, were in cunning, power-hungry Slytherin. Although they were not anywhere near as intelligent nor as beautiful as fair Lily, they forced her to do all of their homework and teach them charms, defense spells, and potions, thus giving them excellent marks. Lily was a lonely girl, and her only friend was her snowy pet owl, Xenophilius.

One day, the headmaster announced that there would be a masquerade ball in honor of the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain, James Potter, for leading the team to victory once again. Every student in the school was invited.

Ivy and Petunia kept Lily busy all week long, washing and ironing their dress robes and magically embellishing their masks, leaving her no time to prepare for herself. When the night of the ball finally arrived, Lily found that her sisters, knowing that she was the loveliest of the three, had stolen her mask and dress robes so that she could not attend.

Lily sat in the common room, shedding silent tears and writing an Arithmancy essay when the portrait hole opened and Professor Minerva McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor House, stepped inside

"Lily, why are you crying?" she asked.

"Well, I was really looking forward to this ball, and now I can't go because I have no mask or robes!" Lily answered through her tears.

"Now, child, this is a school of magic! Do you really think this can't be fixed with the flick of a wand?" As McGonagall said this, she pulled her wand out of her robes and pointed it at Lily. Immediately, her worn-out black uniform transformed into dress robes of the deepest emerald, bringing out her brilliant eyes, and her red and gold striped tie became a necklace of sparkling diamonds. A gold mask appeared on her face, concealing her identity from anyone who normally would have recognized her.

Lily looked in the mirror and gasped. These were the most elegant clothes she had ever worn in her life. "Professor, how can I ever thank you?" she asked.

"Just go to the ball, child, and have fun!" the Professor answered, a small grin forming on her usually stern face.

"Thank you so much, Professor," Lily called, already halfway out of the portrait hole. She sped through the corridors, sharply turning corners and descending moving staircases until she finally reached the Great Hall. The tall doors slowly opened, and Lily stepped inside to join everyone. The first thing she noticed was a group of four tall, seemingly handsome boys standing in the center in the room. The tallest of the four, James Potter, immediately made eye contact with Lily, running a hand through his already messy black hair. Something about those emerald eyes looked familiar to him. He turned around, saying something to his comrades, and then approached her.

"May I have this dance?" he asked politely, placing a light kiss on her pale hand.

"Sure," Lily agreed, shocked that anyone would want to dance with _her_. She didn't know who he was, but the two of them danced all night, and she had more fun than she had ever had in her life. Five minutes before midnight, the doors swung open and a certain dark wizard stepped in, joined by several cloaked figures with silver masks, wands held high.

"MUDBLOODS! I know you're all in here! You're NOT FIT TO LEARN MAGIC!" Voldemort shouted, turning to the people behind him. "Lucius! Bellatrix! Dolohov! Find them and kill them!"

"Oh no!" Lily gasped, and she began to make her way out of the Great Hall.

"Where are you going?" James asked her.

"I'm muggleborn! I have to go!" Lily answered breathlessly.

"Where can I find you?" James asked, desperate to see her again. To his dismay, she was already too far away to hear him. As he watched her leaving the room, he heard something fall to the ground. Making his way through the chaotic crowd, he picked up a short willow wand and gave it a wave. The tip emitted red and gold sparks. She was a Gryffindor too!

From that moment on, he was determined to find the girl that he had danced with the night of the ball. He sent his three best friends, the Marauders, all around Gryffindor Tower to find his mystery girl. The task was seemingly simple to complete: she only had to successfully perform a charm—any charm—with the wand James had found, and he would know for a fact that he had found her. After all, the wand chooses the wizard. Many girls tried, but all of them failed to produce anything resembling magic. When James was about to give up on his search, he looked in the corner to find an auburn-haired girl with sad eyes—sad _emerald_ eyes—unable to control her wand. He instinctively walked over to her and handed her the wand he had found. "Lily Evans…Is this yours?" he asked.

Lily looked up, and her eyes rested on the messy black hair atop James Potter's head. She slowly raised her hand and grasped the swishy piece of willow. "Thank you," she said, slightly speechless. Finally reunited with her wand, she placed the one she had borrowed on the table next to her and perfected the charm she had been working on.

"That was brilliant, Lily," James said in awe.

"Thank you, James," she said, the corners of her mouth turning up into a smile for the first time since she had last spoken with him.

"Say, Lily, would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?" James asked hopefully.

"I don't know if I can," Lily said, her mind picturing the furious faces of Ivy and Petunia, glaring at her with the utmost loathing. Then, the boldness and bravery inside of her decided to make an appearance, and she said, "On second thought, I'd love to."

And although they didn't know it, a magical thing began that day. A year later, the couple was married. Two years after that, Lily gave birth to a child called Harry, who both Lily and James laid down their lives to save. Although they suffered early, tragic fates, they watched over their son from above, as he grew up to fulfill his destiny of saving the wizarding world from the Dark Lord.

THE END

A/N: This was a storytelling project for theater. I know it's a bit rushed, but there was a 5 minute limit on reading it aloud, so it had to be rather short. Read and review? Virtual hugs to anyone who does. :)


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